Week 49: #52 Ancestors – Craft By Eilene Lyon My maternal grandfather, Laurence M. Smith, was a crafty man in more than one way. He loved to play practical jokes. He used his wit in a cunning, sneaky way. But he also like to make things, especially in his retirement years. It isn’t surprising that... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Resort
By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. When we were living in Guatemala in the 1970s, we would sometimes head to the coast for a vacation. The... Continue Reading →
Speed Pioneer
By Eilene Lyon -- November 12, 2019 On this date 55 years ago, drag racer Paula Murphy broke her own land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats, with a two-run average speed of 227.36 miles per hour, to become “the fastest woman on wheels.” The previous year, 1963, she hit over 160 mph in a... Continue Reading →
Lone Star
Week 45: #52 Ancestors – Rich Man By Eilene Lyon This really isn’t about a rich man, or even a poor one, or actually, even about a man, though it starts out with one. Robert J. Halse was born in Highland Township, Winneshiek County, Iowa, in 1860.1 Along with most of his family, he relocated... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Stylin’
By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. The French must have had a little influence on Mom's style during the time we lived there in the early... Continue Reading →
History Repeats
Week 37: #52 Ancestors – Mistake By Eilene Lyon Thomas Harvey Ransom, the only son of Dr. William C. Ransom to reach adulthood, emulated his father quite readily. Unfortunately, W. C. Ransom was not a good role model. Harvey (as he was known) took the mimicry a step too far, and it cost him dearly.... Continue Reading →
The Schoolgirl
Week 36: #52 Ancestors - School Days By Eilene Lyon There are very few school pictures handed down by my ancestors. I've shared some from my great-grandmother, Clara Ransom Davis, in The Schoolma'am. My grandmother, Reatha Gusso is an exception. She did save some class pictures, and even photos of her teachers. Reatha's photo albums... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Winter Once More
By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. Nothing says "Welcome to OHIO!" like a blizzard. We'd just spent three and a half years in the "Land of... Continue Reading →
New and Improved!!
By Eilene Lyon How often have you seen this label on a product you’ve been buying for years? New? Maybe so. Improved? Well, I usually have my doubts about that. I’ll grant that automobiles have become much safer and more fuel efficient since the early 1900s. They’re also more comfortable and have myriad gizmos to... Continue Reading →